"daniel boulud" news and stories

We caught a sneak peek on Monday night of Chef David Burke's new SoHo digs, David Burke Kitchen at The James Hotel (opening on Feb. 3, at 23 Grand Street), at a bash Burke held with Food Network's Lee Schrager to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (coming up February 24-27). (This isn't Burke's first outing with The James -- his Primehouse is already a hit at the hotel's Chicago branch.) First impression? These downtown digs fit the uptown chef like a glove.

Who knew Charlie Sheen was such an oenophile? Actually, we still don't know that. But we do know that before Sheen got arrested last week, in a suite at The Plaza Hotel (accompanied by a porn star), he was drinking some pretty fine wine.

According to TMZ.com, it was a 1959 Grand Vin de Château Latour, in fact. And not one bottle but two, listed at $5,900 each on the wine list at restaurant Daniel. That's a hefty price to pay when you don't end up with a pleasant wine buzz. Instead, Sheen ended up naked in the restaurant bathroom, where a member of his entourage found him with his pants down, in a failed attempt to woo his dinner companion, porn star Capri Anderson (also known as Christina Walsh) into the loo for sex. Later that night, he was arrested in his hotel suite (which cost $1,000 per) for fueling a rampage that sent Capri Anderson lunging for the phone in a cry for help. The next bill Sheen chalked up: an estimated $7,000 in room damages.

If cooking is the way to one's heart, Daniel Boulud should be able to attribute much of his success to his understanding of food. "I think that every restaurant is the chef's soul," he says in documentary "A Certain Taste for America."

In an ongoing series entitled "Art de Vivre: The Art of Eating Today," led by the French Institute in New York City on Monday, a screening of the film (very doting on Boulud) was followed by a panel discussion reflecting upon the art of eating and, more specifically, the importance of sustainability and sourcing food.

As a world-renowned chef hailing from a small hamlet outside Lyon, Boulud has achieved his veritable empire -- 10 successful restaurants based in New York, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Beijing -- by striving to keep a strict culinary focus on seasonal cooking and high-quality ingredients.

More on Boulud's rise to fame, and the panel discussion on sustainable produce, obesity in America, seasonal cooking and its debatable expenses, after the jump.

Grumpy potato. Photo: banger1977, Flickr

• The Cornell-developed Keuka Gold is the prime potato for Orange County, N.Y.'s seasonal changes, plus an outline of upstate's changing potato ways.
• Pasta gets some historical context and old-world charm with Zanini De Vita and her new "Encyclopedia of Pasta."
• The Minimalist makes Crisp Nori.
• With ballpark menus getting fancier by the day, the classic Cracker Jack remains "a do-not-disturb" item.
• The Temporary Vegetarian makes Sara's Spinach Pie.
• Douro (DOH-roo) is a wine region in Portugal whose vino is equally good whether cheap or expensive.
• The popularity of chicken wings has elevated them to a pricey commodity.
• The British population turned towards pre-processed foods, and no one knew the food crafts, so Alison Parente created the School of Artisan Food.
• Cookbook icon Charlotte Snyder Turgeon passes away at the age of 97.
• Cook's Magazine founder Christopher Kimball writes about the demise of Gourmet.
• A Good Appetite rediscovers calf's liver.
• Jeff Ford's bread in Madison, Wis., makes its mark with "obscure organic grains that he sources locally and grinds himself."
• More love for Jen Yates' "Cake Wrecks."
• Daniel Boulud receives three stars from Michelin.
• Michael Pollan shares the Rules to Eat By.
• Food Stuff finds: strangely flavored cannoli, MIL Kimchi and the best Broadway bites.
• Restaurants: Daniel Boulud's sausage spot, DBGB, dishes "perfectly cooked food," East Village's Luke's Lobster is minimalist, like a "wiener hut" and The Financial District's Cowgirl Seahorse serves up adequate American food and fun.
• New York's openings and closings, calendar and benefits.

Mario Batali, sans Doritos. Photo: Bauer-Griffin.

What do chefs eat when they need a palate cleanser after so much fancy restaurant fare? When they take off their aprons, they reach for the same indulgences we do -- perhaps just with an upgrade. Slashfood asked celebrity chefs to share their favorite cravings.

Mario Batali
When orange-clogged chef and television personality Mario Batali isn't reinventing Italian cuisine, he's still got it in the bag -- of Doritos, that is. "I love two things: good gelato and, strangely enough, Doritos and salsa. It has to be Doritos, though. I especially like the lime-flavored ones with chili."

Nigella Lawson
Which foods make domestic goddess Nigella Lawson feel sinful? None! Nigella, who is famous for her intimate, relaxed cooking style says, "I don't have any guilty food pleasures. The only thing one should ever feel guilty about is not taking pleasure."

See what snacks Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio and other celebrity chefs sneak after the jump.